I just got home from grocery shopping and Skyping with our kids and grandkids in Seattle. (Lena, my granddaughter, wanted to show me her new dress, new kitchen and especially her new big girl panties with hearts on them. Precious! How I miss her and Augy.)
But I couldn't stop grinning after playing the grocery game at Krogers and HEB earlier this evening. I spent $128.00 for $236.00 worth of groceries...a huge savings! I loved taking home the 3 eight-packs of yogurt smoothies, frozen juice cups from Minute Maid, and chipolte and horseradish flavored deli-sandwich sauces--FOR FREE.
It was downright embarrassing to get three huge bottles of Sunny Delight for .24 cents a piece. (Sure beats soda!) I also got Kraft Homestyle macaroni and cheese for free..and pasta for .50/box. Buying the extra newspapers is really paying off. And I only buy three newspapers per week!
Using 36.00 of coupons and bagging the rest of the savings from buying sale items exclusively, I netted a 46% savings! Krogers gave you $5.00 off of every ten items (selected) that you bought this week. There was so much variety in the deal. I earned $20.00 from FOUR of the 5 off of ten deals.
My favorite deals today were a bag of Starbucks coffee beans for $4.50, 2 t-bone steaks (3.99/pound) and a Neutrogena Facial bar for 47 cents.!! The biggest stock up of the week was SIX boxes of cake mix and SIX cans of icing for a $1.75 (instead of $4.10). Sweeeeet!
If you've never tried the Grocery game....well..this post just might convince you. LOL! (Be sure to tell them I sent you. :o)
Happy Homemaking!
Donna
PS. Don't forget that the Coupon Mom list service is free. And Jaime posted a great resource on Facebook for classes in couponing here.
8 comments
It sounds like it is a fun game that reaps great rewards!
Aww...the little ones are growing up too quickly. I'll bet those big girl panties are pretty special for her.
We don't have a Kroger around here...but we live and breathe HEB!! Great shopping!!
You know if you ever decide to go visit your son in Seattle...give me a heads up and maybe we could coordinate a trip. My new family is is Portland...lol
Hugs Cindy from Rick-Rack and Gingham
How sweet Cindy! Actually, I AM going up but hubby and I are flying up in January or so, I hope. The idea of paying for gas up and back is prohibitive! Yipes!
Needled Mom, you are right..it's a SUPER fun game that nets huge rewards. We are working so hard to get out of debt and times are so tight right now. The one thing I love about shopping so strategically is that we can have a few treats now and then without breaking the bank. Plus, we can easily afford to take meals to friends who need it and not be so picky about how much cereal, chips, or soda everyone is consuming (other than the health factor-LOL!). It doesn't feel so 'tight' and we can afford more meat, fruit, and veges with the savings.
We are spending about $600.00 per month (including supplies and pet food)for a family of five. We've been at that amount for six years now.
The Grocery Game helps us stretch that dollar and not feel so pinched. :O) Great for morale!
They have lists on the Coupon Mom for which HEB deals are best. Even if you shop at one store, the goal is to stock up big on the sale stuff..and just get what you need on what isn't on sale. Eventually, everything you buy is on sale. That's about 40-50% savings every week!
Have fun!
Donna
Wow what an amazing shop you have done here Donna! You are a great home maker!
Hugs and blessings
Kelly
Hope it is raining over there! Looks like there will be some yummy cake in the future at your house. And congrats to your granddaughter on her new milestone - how cute that she wanted to show off!
Yes..THANK YOU LORD!!! It's rained buckets!!
And Lena is absolutely darling. :o)
Thanks, Caroline. I hope you had plenty of rain too.
The cake was great..sent hubby to men's meeting with a German chocolate one and he brought the pan back empty. Nuff said about that LOL!
Hi Donna,
I used to play the game, but then my Ralphs (Kroger) stopped allowing us to use more than 1 of the same coupon & get it doubled.
Are you able to buy 3 with 3 coupons and get it doubled where you live?
Plus, our Ralphs only doubles to 50 cents.
And then, I ran into the problem that every time I went to shop, no matter what day or time, they were out of all the best deals because so many people were playing! But I live in an impacted area.
Good luck & have fun!
Hi Jeanine. No, I don't get anything doubled that I know of. I just aim for 40 to 50% off with only the original coupon value off.
As long as you are buying something on sale..and you have ANY cents off...that's a price worth stocking up on.
I've noticed that they don't double coupons. My savings have all resulted without using the double off the coupon. Admittedly, it's not the same as getting to get double..but the savings are still tremendous. :o)
Still, I do miss the good ole' days when they double our coupons. It really was fabulous.
I know what you mean about the best deals being gone. Honestly, I never get the freebies. I just accept that as a given and don't try to get them. Target deals never work for me..and CVS or Walgreens tended to be disappointments.
My savings comes from the solid 40% or 50% off items. Most of the time, I shop on Tuesday evenings! That's the worst possible time...because most of the super duper deals may be gone. But all of the good overall shopping still nets me 40-50% off consistently.
I decided not to bother with anything but Krogers, Wal-mart (when it has a good deal), and Krogers or Randals. Every now and then I get something special free and it's always a treat. But that's not what I'm shopping for. I want to cut my whole grocery bill by half. That you can do. And happily, most stores give rainchecks!
I just had to decide not to be disappointed that the real 'steal's were gone. You would have to get up at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning to do that..and it's overkill in my opinion. I don't have time for that sort of thing.
Of course, every now and then..I get a freebie. I'd sure like to get that new Gain dishwashing liquid for free..but it's never there. LOL! If they still have the sale, I may apply for a raincheck.
Have fun Jeannine! You sound like a true coupon queen. :o)
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